Ornamental sculpture having integral gutter spout and mounting kit therefore

ABSTRACT

An architectural ornamental sculpture such as a fish head sculpture, a dragon&#39;s head sculpture or a gargoyle sculpture is adapted for use in an architectural water features such as an eave mounted gutter and includes an ornamental spout member having a sealable mating surface and a trough member carrying a mating flange. A support member is optionally provided to permit mounting of the sculpture in an architectural location not related to a gutter or other water feature. The support member carries a distal mating surface dimensioned to fit closely with the ornamental spout member&#39;s sealable mating surface, and has a proximal end adapted to be fastened to an architectural surface such as a wall or soffit.

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION AND PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/529,110, filed Dec. 15, 2003, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application is also related to Design patent application Ser. No. 29/190,906, filed Sep. 30, 2003, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to architectural ornamental sculpture and to use of architectural ornamental sculpture in architectural water-carrying features such as gutters.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

With conventional prior art downspouts, rain water collected from the roof of a building is spilled onto the ground beside the foundation. This causes damp and musty basements and can lead to cracked foundations.

In response, some users have attached downspout extensions, but the problem with using a downspout extension is that it must be walked over; additionally it must be removed and re-installed in order to cut a lawn lying under the extended spout. Automatic extension devices (such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,519) utilize complicated mechanisms such as rocker arms having a latch/hook on one end; a fragile upright tubular member having an upper end portion slides over the downspout and a lower end portion elbows outwardly away from an adjacent building wall and has an extension tube pivotably connected with a channel extending from inside the upright tubular member. In use, this tubular member diverts rain water from the downspout into the extension, and at the onset of a rain storm, the extension is filled and the rocker arm rotates, lifting up the latch/hook, causing the extension to automatically fall into an operable position (unless something breaks). After the storm, the extension is rotatably lifted for lawn maintenance into its storage position where it is maintained by the latch/hook (unless something breaks). Such complicated solutions, apart from being unreliable, seldom add any aesthetic beauty or humor to the surroundings.

There is a need, therefore, for a simple, efficient, inexpensive, mechanically reliable and (preferably) visually interesting mechanism to permit rain water to be channeled safely away from a building's foundation.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned difficulties by providing a simple, efficient, mechanically reliable mechanism to permit rain water to be channeled safely away from a building's foundation.

Another object of the present invention is providing an inexpensive and visually interesting structure to permit rain water to be channeled safely away from a building's foundation.

The aforesaid objects are achieved individually and in combination, and it is not intended that the present invention be construed as requiring two or more of the objects to be combined unless expressly required by the claims attached hereto.

An architectural ornamental sculpture such as a fish head sculpture, a dragon's head sculpture or a gargoyle face sculpture is adapted for use in an architectural water constraining feature such as a roof or eave mounted gutter and includes an ornamental spout member having a sealable mating surface and a trough member carrying a mating flange dimensioned to fit closely with the ornamental spout member's sealable mating surface. The sculpture includes at least one channel terminated in a spout. Once the sculpture and trough member are connected and, preferably, sealed together, fluid such as rain water entering the trough member may flow into and through the sculpture channel to pour in a pleasing pattern from the sculpture's spout which is shaped, for example, as a mouth.

The trough member preferably has a four inch long three wall trough segment having first and second opposed sidewalls projecting vertically from a substantially orthogonal bottom wall segment. The trough member flange has a substantially planar back flange surface adapted to receive and hold sealing compound such as latex caulk. The trough member's first and second opposed sidewalls have vertical scoring or grooves adapted to permit easy cutting of the sidewalls, thereby permitting an installer to mount the ornamental spout at a mid-point in a gutter, so that the spout will project fluid (e.g., rain water) transversely away from a linear gutter segment.

A support member is optionally provided to permit mounting of the sculpture in an architectural location not related to a gutter or other water feature. The support member carries a distal mating surface (e.g., a wall segment) dimensioned to fit closely with the ornamental spout member's sealable mating surface, and has a proximal end adapted to be fastened to an architectural surface such as a wall or soffit. The support member distal mating surface also has a weakened segment adapted to be cut out and sized to plug or occlude a standard gutter downspout opening, since a user who will be using the sculpture as a gutter spout will need to remove the downspout and plug the downspout opening.

In a preferred embodiment, the sculpture, trough member and a support member are provided together in a kit.

The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals in the various figures are utilized to designate like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view, in elevation, of the sculpture and spout in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view, in elevation, of the sculpture in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a rear view, in elevation, of the trough member in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a rear view, in elevation, of the sculpture/trough assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side exploded view, in elevation, of the sculpture and trough member in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view, in elevation, of the sculpture/trough assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view, in elevation, of the sculpture/trough assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view, in elevation, of the sculpture/trough assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view, in elevation, of the sculpture support member in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view, in elevation, of a dragon's head sculpture and spout in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a rear or inlet side view, in elevation, of the dragon's head sculpture and spout of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view, in elevation, of the dragon's head sculpture and spout of FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in FIGS. 1-12, an architectural ornamental sculpture 10 such as a fish head sculpture, a dragon's head sculpture 50 or a gargoyle face sculpture (not shown) is adapted for use in an architectural water constraining feature such as a roof or eave mounted gutter and includes an ornamental spout member 22 having a substantially planar sealable mating surface 16 and a trough member 12 carrying a substantially planar mating flange 18 dimensioned to fit closely with the ornamental spout member's sealable mating surface 16.

Sculpture 10 can be fashioned to resemble a mythic creature such as a gargoyle, dragon 50 (best seen in FIGS. 10-12) or stylized fish 10 (best seen in FIGS. 1-8) and includes at least one channel 20 terminated in a spout 22. Once sculpture 10 and trough member 12 are connected and, preferably, sealed together, fluid such as rain water entering the trough member 12 from an affixed gutter may flow into and through the sculpture channel to pour in a pleasing pattern from the sculpture's spout 22 which is shaped, for example, as a mouth.

Sculpture 10 is preferably molded from an injectable or pourable polymeric material such as polyurethane foam and hardens to provide a uniformly resilient and water impermeable surface well suited to receive paints, metallic finishes or antique-like surface treatments. A copper carrying coating is optionally sprayed onto sculpture 10 to provide a finish adapted to weather over time.

Trough member 12 preferably has a four-inch long three wall trough segment having first and second substantially parallel opposed sidewalls 24, 26 projecting vertically from a substantially orthogonal bottom wall segment 28 to define a water directing channel. Trough member flange 18 has a substantially planar back flange surface adapted to receive and hold an architectural sealing compound such as latex caulk or silicone sealant.

The trough member's first and second opposed sidewalls 24, 26 preferably have vertical scoring or grooves 30 adapted to permit easy cutting of the rearward or proximal sidewall segments, thereby permitting an installer to mount the ornamental spout at a mid-point in a linear gutter sidewall, so that the spout will project fluid (e.g., rain water) transversely away from a linear gutter segment.

Trough member 12 is also preferably molded from an injectable or pourable polymeric material such as polyurethane foam and hardens to provide a uniformly resilient and water impermeable surface well suited to receive paints, metallic finishes or antique-like surface treatments. Trough member 12 is optionally assembled from planar segments of polymeric material or another resilient, water impermeable material.

A support member 14 (shown in FIG. 9) is also provided to permit mounting of a selected sculpture (e.g., fish head 10 or dragon's head 50) in an architectural location not related to a gutter or other water feature. Support member 14 carries a substantially planar distal mating surface or flange 32 (e.g., a wall segment) dimensioned to fit closely with the ornamental spout member's sealable mating surface 16 and has a proximal end mount 34 adapted to be fastened to a support or surface such as a wall or soffit.

Optionally ,the support member distal mating surface or flange 32 also has a weakened segment or punch-out 36 adapted to be cut out and sized to plug or occlude a standard gutter downspout opening. An installer using the sculpture as a gutter spout may choose to remove an existing gutter downspout, which is not needed when installing the ornamental gutter spout of the present invention. The installer may choose to occlude or plug the now unused downspout opening with punch-out 36 while installing ornamental spout 10, to direct all of the gutter flow out through spout 22.

Support member 14 is also preferably molded from an injectable or pourable polymeric material such as polyurethane foam and hardens to provide a uniformly resilient and water impermeable surface well suited to receive paints, metallic finishes or antique-like surface treatments. Support member 14 is optionally assembled from planar segments of polymeric material metal or some other resilient, weather resistant material.

A kit including all of the above optionally includes a support member 14 (shown in FIG. 9) provided to permit mounting of a selected sculpture (e.g., fish head 10, dragon's head 50 or both) in an architectural location not related to a gutter or other water feature. In a preferred embodiment, at least one sculpture (e.g., 10), a trough member 12 and a support member 14 are provided together in a kit, along with installation instructions describing how the sculpture is mounted for use as either a gutter draining spout or, with support member 14, for use as an ornamental architectural feature.

In an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12, a light emitting diode (LED) is configured to provide illumination of a selected color to accentuate a feature of the sculpture. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a red LED 52 provides a glowing red illumination to accentuate the eye of dragon's head. The LED is preferably switchable and is powered by a battery concealed within sculpture 50.

In accordance with the method of the present invention, an installer first selects a mounting location within an existing gutter system. For installations having the spout mounted at the end of a gutter, the gutter end wall is cut out to provide a tight fit around trough member opposed sidewalls 24, 26 and bottom wall segment 28, such that bottom wall segment rests on or near the bottom wall surface of the gutter. The installer then seals and bonds the trough member in place with trough member flange 18 projecting distally from the gutter end wall. The installer then seals and bonds a sculpture (e.g., 10) to said trough member flange 18 at sculpture sealable mating surface 16 using an architectural sealing compound such as latex caulk or silicone sealant.

For installations having the spout mounted in the side of a gutter at a mid-point, the gutter side wall is cut out to provide a tight fit around trough member opposed sidewalls 24, 26 and bottom wall segment 28, such that bottom wall segment rests on or near the bottom wall surface of the gutter. Before installing trough member 12, the installer cuts through the vertical scoring or grooves 30 in first and second opposed sidewalls 24, 26 to remove the rearward or proximal sidewall segments of first and second opposed sidewalls 24, 26, thereby allowing water to flow from the gutter into the channel defined in trough member 12.

Next, trough member 12 is placed in the gutter side wall cut-out and sealed and bonded in place using an architectural sealing compound such as latex caulk or silicone sealant. The trough member is thereby mounted to support the ornamental spout at a mid-point in a linear gutter sidewall, so that the spout will project fluid (e.g., rain water) transversely away from a linear gutter segment. The installer then seals and bonds a sculpture (e.g., 10) to said trough member flange 18 at sculpture sealable mating surface 16 using an architectural sealing compound such as latex caulk or silicone sealant.

Having described preferred embodiments of a new ornamental gutter spout and mounting method, it is believed that other modifications, variations and changes will be suggested to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings set forth herein. It is therefore to be understood that all such variations, modifications and changes are believed to fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. An ornamental sculpture having an integral gutter spout and mounting kit therefore, comprising: a water impermeable sculpture having a substantially planar sealable proximal mating surface and a distal spout in the shape of a mouth defining a fluid constraining channel extending from said proximal mating surface to said spout, said sculpture being configured in one of a plurality of distinctive ornamental configurations; a water impermeable trough member having a distal flange shaped to sealably engage with said sculpture's proximal mating surface; said distal flange being carried on the distal end of an elongate trough having a proximal opening and defining a water constraining channel; wherein said trough member is configured to sealably engage and support any of a plurality of water impermeable sculptures having distinctive ornamental configurations.
 2. The ornamental sculpture and mounting kit of claim 1, further comprising: a support member having a substantially planar channel blocking distal mating surface shaped to engage said sculpture's proximal mating surface; said distal mating surface being carried on the distal end of an elongate support member having a proximal mount adapted to engage an architectural surface.
 3. The ornamental sculpture and mounting kit of claim 2, wherein said support member having a substantially planar channel blocking distal mating surface includes a cut-out shaped to provide a gutter-downspout occluding member, when removed.
 4. The ornamental sculpture and mounting kit of claim 2, wherein said support member proximal mount comprises a circular flange having a plurality of through bores adapted to engage said architectural surface using threaded fasteners.
 5. The ornamental sculpture and mounting kit of claim 1, wherein said trough member comprises first and second substantially parallel sidewalls projecting up from a bottom wall, wherein said side walls and said bottom wall carry said distal flange and define a proximal channel opening.
 6. The ornamental sculpture and mounting kit of claim 5, wherein said trough member first and second sidewalls include scored and weakened sidewall segments adjacent said proximal channel opening.
 7. The ornamental sculpture and mounting kit of claim 1, wherein said sculpture is configured to resemble a fish and the channel is configured to permit water to flow from the fish's mouth.
 8. The ornamental sculpture and mounting kit of claim 1, wherein said sculpture is configured to resemble a dragon's head and the channel is configured to permit water to flow from the dragon's mouth.
 9. The ornamental sculpture and mounting kit of claim 1, wherein said sculpture includes an illumination source.
 10. The ornamental sculpture and mounting kit of claim 9, wherein said sculpture wherein said sculpture is configured to resemble a dragon's head and the illumination source is positioned to resemble an illuminated eye.
 11. A method of installing an ornamental sculpture and mounting kit, comprising the method steps of: (a) providing a water impermeable sculpture having a substantially planar sealable proximal mating surface and a distal spout in the shape of a mouth defining a fluid constraining channel extending from said proximal mating surface to said spout, said sculpture being configured in one of a plurality of distinctive ornamental configurations; (b) providing a water impermeable trough member having a distal flange shaped to sealably engage with said sculpture's proximal mating surface; said distal flange being carried on the distal end of an elongate trough having a proximal opening and defining a water constraining channel; wherein said trough member is configured to sealably engage and support any of a plurality of water impermeable sculptures having distinctive ornamental configurations; (c) selecting one sculpture from a plurality of distinctive sculptures adapted to sealable engage said trough member mounting flange; and (d) positioning said trough member in a desired location, and (e) mounting said selected sculpture onto said trough member mounting flange.
 12. A method of installing an ornamental sculpture and mounting kit, comprising the method steps of: (a) providing a water impermeable sculpture having a substantially planar sealable proximal mating surface and a distal spout in the shape of a mouth defining a fluid constraining channel extending from said proximal mating surface to said spout, said sculpture being configured in one of a plurality of distinctive ornamental configurations; (b) providing a water impermeable trough member having a distal flange shaped to sealably engage with said sculpture's proximal mating surface; said distal flange being carried on the distal end of an elongate trough having a proximal opening and defining a water constraining channel; wherein said trough member is configured to sealably engage and support any of a plurality of water impermeable sculptures having distinctive ornamental configurations; (c) providing a trough member having a substantially planar channel blocking distal mating surface shaped to engage said sculpture's proximal mating surface; said distal mating surface being carried on the distal end of an elongate support member having a proximal mount adapted to engage an architectural surface. (d) selecting one structure to carry said sculpture from said trough member and said support member; and (e) mounting said sculpture onto said selected structure. 